The 26, part 8

 

I've discussed the genesis and ongoing evolution of the 28/26-string Double Subcontra guitar in previous blog posts.   In this blog post, I discussed the various tunings I'd tried on the two triple courses.  

With the advent of the 30-string Double Contraguitar, I achieved six sets of triple courses.   This instrument has proven to be quite successful, and has become one of my main instruments.  Triple courses can be difficult and complex, and as such, I don't feel a need for further triple-course instruments.  The 30 is really a massive and complex pallet of harmonic colors and textures.

However, the tunings of the triples on the 30 are dense and complex clusters.  The triple-course tunings with which I experimented on the 28 were far more consonant, homogeneous, and not harmonically dense.  Over the course of a few months using these triple courses, I realized that for this instrument in this tuning, that they were not adding anything of significance.  That, along with the fact that the 30 fulfills my triple-course needs, led me to the decision of changing the two triple courses on the 28 back into double courses; hence, the 28 resolved back into a 26-string.

Since resolving the 28 back into a 26-string, it's been used on two album recording projects.  I'm quite happy with it as a 26.  Of course, this doesn't preclude its return to a 28-string at some point, but I don't see that occurring; at least, not in the foreseeable future.

And so, on to more 26-string adventures and discoveries.

 

-kk